Many vehicles with combustion engines include a starter assembly, typically including a solenoid and a motor, for cranking the vehicle's engine. Upon energizing the starter assembly, an engagement member, such as a pinion gear, coupled to the starter motor moves into engagement with the engine. An energized solenoid or field coil serves to hold the pinion gear in engagement with the engine. In some starter assemblies, the energized solenoid causes power from the vehicle battery to be routed to the starter motor to drive the starter motor. The starter motor drives the pinion gear in rotation to crank the engine.
Starter assemblies may sometimes fail intermittently for various reasons, such as improper pinion engagement, loose or shorted connections, ground connections, reversed connections, solenoid failures, motor failures, etc. For example, a faulty or weak solenoid or improper solenoid connection may result in an engagement failure of the starter assembly.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of testing an engine starter assembly is provided. The method includes providing a starter assembly including a solenoid, a motor, an actuating device, and an engagement member coupled to the actuating device. The actuating device is configured to move the engagement member relative to the motor upon electrical power being routed to an input of the starter assembly. The method further includes positioning a blocking member proximate a shaft of the motor to block a movement of the engagement member along the shaft of the motor. The method further includes energizing the starter assembly to cause the actuating device to move the engagement member into contact with the blocking member. The method further includes analyzing at least one of a voltage level and a current level at an electrical terminal of at least one of the motor and the solenoid while the engagement member is in contact with the blocking member to determine an operating condition of the starter assembly.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of testing an engine starter assembly is provided. The method includes providing a starter assembly including a solenoid, a motor, and an engagement member, the engagement member being configured to move along a shaft of the motor to engage an engine assembly. The method further includes applying electrical power to at least one input of the starter assembly to energize the solenoid, the starter assembly being configured to route electrical power received at the at least one input of the starter assembly to the motor. The method further includes varying a magnitude of the electrical power applied to the at least one input of the starter assembly, monitoring at least one of a voltage level and a current level of the electrical power routed to the motor of the starter assembly during the varying of the applied electrical power, and analyzing an operating condition of the starter assembly based on the monitoring.
According to yet another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a testing system for an engine starter assembly is provided. The starter assembly includes a motor having an output shaft, a solenoid configured to route electrical power to the motor to drive the motor, and an engagement member configured to move along the output shaft into an engagement with an engine based on an actuation of the solenoid. The testing system includes a power supply operative to provide electrical power to the solenoid, a blocking member positioned proximate the output shaft of the motor to block a movement of the engagement member along the output shaft of the motor; and a controller operative to route electrical power from the power supply to the solenoid to actuate the solenoid to move the engagement member into contact with the blocking member. The controller is further operative to analyze the presence of an electrical connection between an input of the solenoid and an output of the solenoid while the engagement member is in contact with the blocking member.
In one example, the controller is operative to route an electrical signal from the power supply to the input of the solenoid and to monitor the output of the solenoid for the electrical signal to analyze the presence of an electrical connection between the input and the output of the solenoid while the engagement member is in contact with the blocking member. In another example, the controller routes a substantially constant voltage from the power supply to a second input of the solenoid to actuate the solenoid, and a magnitude of the substantially constant voltage is less than a magnitude of a voltage applied by a vehicle battery to the solenoid to actuate the solenoid during a non-testing operation of the solenoid. In yet another example, a magnitude of the electrical signal applied to the input of the solenoid is less than a magnitude of an electrical signal operative to rotate the motor. In still another example, the controller identifies a failed operation of the starter assembly upon a failure to detect the electrical connection between the input of the solenoid and the output of the solenoid. In another example, the output shaft of the motor includes a travel stop adapted to limit the travel of the engagement member, and the blocking member is positioned between the travel stop and the engagement member to block a full extension of the engagement member along the output shaft of the motor. In yet another example, the starter assembly includes a lever assembly coupled to the engagement member and to a plunger of the solenoid, and the actuation of the solenoid causes movement of the plunger and the lever assembly to cause the engagement member to move into contact with the blocking member. In still another example, the solenoid includes a contact plate coupled to the plunger and configured to provide an electrical connection between the input and output of the solenoid during an actuation of the solenoid. In another example, the controller includes a control unit, a computer, and a computer interface providing communication between the control unit and the computer, the control unit controls the delivery of electrical power from the power supply to the solenoid, and the computer analyzes the presence of an electrical connection between the input of the solenoid and the output of the solenoid while the engagement member is in contact with the blocking member.
According to still another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a testing system for an engine starter assembly is provided. The starter assembly includes a solenoid and a motor. The solenoid has at least one input and an output. The testing system includes at least one power supply operative to provide electrical power to the solenoid and a controller operably coupled to the at least one power supply and to the starter assembly. The controller is operative to apply a voltage from the at least one power supply to the at least one input of the solenoid to actuate the solenoid. The solenoid when actuated is configured to route the applied voltage to the output of the solenoid. The controller is further operative to vary the voltage applied to the at least one input of the solenoid, to monitor the output of the solenoid during the varying of the applied voltage, and to analyze an operating condition of the starter assembly based on the monitored output of the solenoid.
In one example, the controller varies the applied voltage by decreasing the applied voltage at a substantially steady rate over a predetermined period. In another example, the controller is further operative to calculate a voltage difference between the applied voltage and a voltage monitored at the output of the solenoid, compare the calculated voltage difference to a difference threshold, and identify a voltage level of the applied voltage upon the calculated voltage difference exceeding the difference threshold. In yet another example, the controller is further operative to compare the identified voltage level of the applied voltage to a threshold voltage level and to determine that the operating condition of the starter assembly is a faulted condition upon the identified voltage level of the applied voltage exceeding the threshold voltage level. In still another example, the controller applies the voltage from the at least one power supply to a first input of the solenoid to actuate the solenoid and to a second input of the solenoid, and the solenoid is configured to route the applied voltage from the second input of the solenoid to the output of the solenoid upon being actuated by the applied voltage at the first input of the solenoid. In another example, prior to applying the voltage to the first and second inputs of the solenoid, the controller is further operative to apply an electrical signal to one of the second input and the output of the solenoid while power to the first input is substantially removed and to monitor the other of the second input and the output of the solenoid to detect at least one of a solenoid leakage current and a reverse installation of the solenoid. In yet another example, the controller includes a control unit, a computer, and a computer interface providing communication between the control unit and the computer, the control unit controls the delivery of electrical power from the power supply to the solenoid, and the computer analyzes an operating condition of the starter assembly based on the monitored output of the solenoid.